Gallery: earth’s story told in its rocks
We might say that the earth has a spirit of growth; that its flesh is the soil, its bones the arrangement and connection of the rocks of which the mountains are composed, its cartilage the tufa, and its blood the springs of water.
Leonardo da Vinci
Earth’s story is told most clearly in its rocks. There the layers of the past are revealed to us, viewing in the present. And each of those rocks is shaped by the elements, evolving over time into natural sculptures, often of great beauty.
So for Amy’s Lens Artists challenge this week I trawled my archives for images where the story of our earth can be ‘read’ in its geology. I’m certainly no geologist however, so these shots are chosen purely for aesthetic appeal and captioned with a similar level of ignorance! I’ll start fairly close to home, in England, before heading further afield.
xx
The dramatically eroded Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire, England
Cheddar Gorge in south west England – our answer to the Grand Canyon!
Durdle Door, Dorset; part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. Here coastal erosion has exposed rock formations from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
The coast at Arnarstapi on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland
Gerðuberg, a row of perfectly shaped hexagonal basalt columns on the Snӕfellsnes Peninsula in Iceland. That country could be a geology lesson all by itself!
We can’t talk about earth’s story as told in its rocks without mentioning the Grand Canyon. This is a very old slide of the view from Point Imperial on the North Rim.
And this is an equally old slide of a flight over the Grand Canyon.
While we’re on old slides, this is in Monument Valley, Utah, while my featured photo was taken in Arches National Park in the same state and shows Turret Arch.
This is La Ventana Arch in El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico.
The dramatic view from Sandstone Bluffs, also in El Malpais National Monument
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, nearly as dramatic as its much larger namesake
Quilotoa crater in the Ecuadorean Andes, created of course by a volcanic eruption.
Semi-abstract reflections of rock layers in another crater lake, Mount Paektu, North Korea
Rock formations in Bai Tu Long Bay, Vietnam
Touched by human hand
But people are part of earth’s story too, of course. Here are a few final shots of places where people have literally left their mark on the earth.
Petroglyphs at Twyfelfontein in Namibia
Petroglyphs in Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
Pictograph in one of the caves at Gila Cliffs, New Mexico
Register Rock, Wyoming; here travellers on the Oregon Trail camped for the night and recorded their names and the dates of their passage.
51 Comments
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Annie Berger
Phenomenal collection of phots from such disparate places throughout the world. They just make me want to add so many more places to my travel wish list that I keep hoping is getting smaller and NOT longer, Sarah! Living in Colorado, we are so close to New Mexico yet still haven’t visited some of that state’s national monuments – we obviously need to rectify that.
Sarah Wilkie
Oh I know just what you mean! Reading other people’s blogs is fatal when it comes to trying to shorten your travel wish-list 😆 We loved NM, one of our favourite US road trips ever. So much variety in one state!
Alli Templeton
And what an unimaginably rich and varied story the Earth’s rocks tell over a span of time of which we humans can’t even conceive. You’ve illustrated this beautifully, Sarah, and shown how that story wraps around the entire planet. 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Alli 🙂 I am always a bit amazed when I travel and see how rock formations can look so similar on opposite sides of the globe!
SoyBend
Loved this collection of photos, Sarah! I see places I’ve been and others I’d like to visit. I liked the petroglyphs, Andean crater (it looks like our Crater Lake National Park), and the basalt columns.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Siobhan 🙂 We’ve been to Crater Lake, many years ago – from memory, although it has some similarities with this one (being a volcanic crater), the surrounding landscape is rather different with more trees. Maybe it’s at a lower altitude?
SoyBend
Yes, it looks like the one in South America is about twice the elevation as the one here in Oregon.
Sarah Wilkie
And it’s much nearer the Equator so that will have an influence on the vegetation too 🙂
Leya
All of these are just fabulous. Sarah! Wow…you really have been around! Love especially Namibia and Vietnam – but of course the country of geology itselt too, Iceland.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Ann-Christine – yes, I guess you could say we have ‘been around’ 😀 I love your description of Iceland as ‘the country of geology’!
Leya
♥ But it really is…Iceland.
Sarah Wilkie
I know – I love it there!
Dawn
Wow. Amazing photos! I love all of the examples of earth–rock formations–you provide through your beautiful photos. I would love to visit some of the places around the world in your photos, especially since I’ve seen all of the ones you provide for the southwest US. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Dawn 😊 I do think the south west US has to be one of the best regions in the world for rock formations and dramatic scenery in general. I’d love to return one day! And I hope you get to visit some of these other places too.
Wind Kisses
I love that you used geology to define your Earth Story. My favorite was Durdle Door. Stunning place and I imagine even more beautiful in person. That will be on my list. I love the traveling you have done in my part of the world and all of those photos brought me a smile. I was tickled to see Bandelier on your list. Even locals haven’t hear of it, and for me it was the coolest place to learn (And wander) about another time in history. Very nice. donna
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Donna 😊 The whole Jurassic Coast, of which Durdle Door is just a small part, is both beautiful and fascinating. You can look for fossils, enjoy wonderful cliff walks or simply stroll/relax on the beaches – highly recommended if ever you’re in England! As to Bandelier, most of the park was closed when we were in Santa Fe unfortunately (there had been a major wildfire) so we could only visit one small part, but what we saw was stunning and very interesting, because of the ancient history there 🙂
JohnRH
Not noticing at whose site I was looking at first, as soon as I got to North Korea I knew, oh yeah, this must be ToonSarah. Voila. Great photos. I love rocks!
Sarah Wilkie
Haha, I guess you don’t know anyone else who’s been to North Korea?! Glad you enjoyed my rocks 🙂
JohnRH
Yup!
wetanddustyroads
Oh wow, UK’s answer to the Grand Canyon is quite spectacular! And Utah’s rock formations are very similar to the ones here locally in the Cederberg Mountains where we go for frequent hikes. And what a stunning picture of that crater in the Ecuadorean Andes! The rock art is equally lovely … I didn’t know you visited Namibia!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much 😊 Yes, I’ve seen and wondered at the rock formations you’ve shared from the Cederberg Mountains – they look amazing! We were in Namibia in 2007 I think (roughly around then anyway) and loved it!
pattimoed
Wow, Sarah. What a wonderful gallery! I like your images of the Grand Canyon from its older side. And your petroglyphs are wonderful! You are definitely a world traveler. 😀❤️
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Patti 🙂 Those photos of the Grand Canyon are from 1994 so both they and the memories of that trip are pretty old now, but it remains one of my favourite ever road trips!
pattimoed
I can see why!
Heyjude
You have been to some amazing places Sarah. A fabulous gallery, well presented.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Jude – yes, I’ve been so lucky to have visited the places I have, but I’m hungry for more!
Rose
Absolutely fascinating photos. It would have been wonderful to have a time-lapse camera to show us how these formations were created. Mount Paektu, North Korea was so interesting geometrically as well as geologically.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Rose 🙂 Yes, I liked the shapes made by the layers and reflections at Mount Paektu. Some of our group climbed right to the top of the mountain but I was happier trying to create abstracts from the patterns!
Tina Schell
Excellent choice for the week Sarah – I’ve loved many of the sites you featured as well as several others, and then you also included some I’ve not visited. We did an overnight at Uluru which was amazing, and loved the remaining apostles. I loved all of the arches you featured – again, some I’ve seen, some not. The North Korea image is my favorite of the set though. What an ode to Mother Earth you gave us! Beautiful post.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Tina 🤗 I’m glad you like the Mount Paektu shot. It’s more abstract than the others and harder to ‘read’ but it’s a great example of the layers in our rocks!
Teresa
Oh wow, I was excited to see what you’ll be sharing for this topic. And you never disappoint, Sarah. All lovely photos ❤️❤️❤️
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Teresa, that’s lovely to hear 🙂
thehungrytravellers.blog
Ah, one of Michaela’s favourite topics and something that fascinates her everywhere we go. Great set of photos again Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
Fascinates me too although I know almost nothing about it! Have you been to Iceland? If not you should definitely go as Michaela would be in her element there!
thehungrytravellers.blog
No we haven’t, not yet anyway. I should really give Michaela full credit – her Natural Science degree included large sections on geology and vulcanology, hence her fascination (although by her own admission she’s forgotten most of it – too many beers and sleeps since then!)
Sarah Wilkie
I reckon like many things we’ve learned it would come back to her somewhere like Iceland!
Aletta - nowathome
Oh wow! I love rock formations and mountains Sarah! Your photos are just amazing!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Aletta, glad you enjoyed them 😀
Aletta - nowathome
😁
I. J. Khanewala
Its interesting that when you look at each of these rock formations you think “How odd”, but when you see so many looking rather similar you begin to wonder why the natural arch is so common
Sarah Wilkie
Interesting observation 🙂 I guess it’s to be expected when layers of substances with different properties (some hard, some soft) are piled on top of each other and then subjected to a variety of challenging forces?
the eternal traveller
Fabulous photos! And two places we’ve been to – Durdle Door and the Grand Canyon.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much – two very different places for us to have in common!
the eternal traveller
And both spectacular!
Amy
Majestic mountains and rocks around the world tell great stories of earth. A row of perfectly shaped hexagonal basalt columns, amazing! Bai Tu Long Bay view is breathtaking. Thank you for sharing, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Amy, both for this comment and the great theme this week – I enjoyed putting this together. I scheduled it to publish while out last night so I’m glad the pingback worked and you found it 🙂 Those columns in Iceland are amazing, as is so much of the landscape there!
kzmcb
Well, if you are so fond of rocks, you must come to Australia. One is iconic, and several are as old, or older, than some in your gallery. We even have living rocks – something for everyone.
Sarah Wilkie
I have been to Australia but as with some of the US destinations my photos are all old slides, and unlike those I haven’t got around yet to digitising them. We didn’t get to Uluru but the Three Sisters would have fitted this theme well and we also saw Aboriginal rock art which would have been a great addition to the final section. I must scan those slides one day!
Clas Andersen
Really fantastic photos. Need to visit the US midwest one day.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Claus – it would be an amazing place for a cycling tour!